Various shoe closure means have been utilized for many years. Shoes closures, such as for example, Velcro® hook and loop fasteners, have been utilized to replace and/or reinforce/augment traditional shoe-lace closures on many varieties of shoes, whether athletic, orthopedic, or everyday-wear shoes. When used to completely or partially replace laces, a Velcro® hook and loop fastener provides the benefit of ease of fastening for those who may have difficulty due to age or limited use of their hands. When used in conjunction with laces, Velcro® hook and loop fasteners typically cinch and add additional support to certain areas of the foot, such as the arch or serve to cover and maintain the laces as a fail-safe. This typically requires that the Velcro® hook and loop fastener, such as a strap, be fixedly attached to the shoe. Examples of these systems are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,297 to Famolare, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,672 to Antonious; U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,529 to Smith et al. These closure means are used in conjunction with the shoe laces and are non-removable fixed to the shoe itself. This does not give the wearer more than one option when fastening closed their shoes.
Another design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,424 (the '424 patent) to Oorei et al., which teaches use of an athletic shoe with plurality of band-shaped member secured by means of laces over the instep and a tightening belt that extends downward and around a heel of the shoe and over the instep of the shoe. However, the '424 patent also fails to give the user the option to use either the laces or the strap connection, rather the user must use the laces to engage with the band-shaped members and the tightening belt so that the athletic shoe is tightly contacted with the heel portion of a wearer. (Col. 2, line 53). This however, disadvantageously does not allow the user to choose from a plurality of fastening options as the user must use both laces and strap.
While Velcro® hooks and loop fastener straps have been used in conjunction with or to replace traditional shoe-lace closures, there remains a need for a closure apparatus which allows the wearer to choose from several closure varieties. There remains a need for strap closures which are removable from the shoe itself and allows the wearer the option of using them.